As the mom of an 18-year-old daughter I am pretty sick of people saying Disney princesses aren’t good role models for today’s young ladies. I couldn’t disagree more. Not all Disney princesses are waif-like, subservient, clean freaks. Some understand the greater good, think of others before themselves and kick butt on occasion.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase any of the recommended items we get a small commission which helps us keep the MouseQuest up and running.

Here are the Top 5 Disney Princesses who make great role models for our young ladies.

5. Belle

Smarts aren’t a bad thing. Imagine how boring life would be if we couldn’t have enthralling, intelligent conversations. Belle is also a good judge of character. She knows Gaston is a ding-dong and the Beast has a kind heart. She teaches us that smart don’t just come from books.

LIFE LESSON #1: Knowledge is power

4. Merida

Disney has this bad habit of vilifying moms in their movies. In this movie Merida learns what every teenage girl eventually figures out… mom is right. This is a hard lesson to come to terms with, especially as a teenager.

LIFE LESSON #2: Treasure your family while you can

3. Tiana

You gotta have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, then how will you know when you have reached it. Tiana’s dream is to own her own restaurant. She works hard to make that dream a possibility.

LIFE LESSON #3: Have a dream and work toward it

2. Moana

Moana clearly has the courage to pursue what is right – not just what is safe. She knows the only way to save her people is to venture beyond the reef to find Maui and replace the heart of Tafiti. She also listens to her elders (well, maybe not her dad). Gramma Tala might at first seem like the village crazy lady but she holds in her memories the stories of Moana’s ancestors. Priceless is the wisdom of our older generation and Moana understands that.

LIFE LESSON #4: Have the courage to do what’s right

1. Mulan

Mulan is my #1 favorite princess because she combines the attribute of the rest of the ladies on this list. She is smart, treasures her family, has a dream and has the courage to do what is right but above all she kicks butt!

LIFE LESSON #5: Kick butt

So ladies my hope for all of you is that you live a life where you have the courage to do what is right, a thirst for knowledge, know that family is first, find your dream and work towards it and kick butt!

Sue Nowicki is an alumna of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She splits her time between planning her next Walt Disney World vacation and being team mom to ten high-energy volleyball players where she fills the roles of secretary, navigator, head cheerleader, treasurer, athletic trainer and team psychologist. You can follow her on Twitter @MQPodcast.

You can follow our pixie-dusted journey here: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more great Disney and Lifestyle content.